AMPELIS CEDROKUM — CEDAR BIRD. 279 



bluish white, tinged at the larger end with dull purplish, 

 and blotched and spotted with black. They are somewhat 

 conical in form, having considerable taper. The old birds, 

 during the breeding season, are very quiet, and, in fact, at 

 no period deserve the name of Chatterer, as applied to the 

 genus. 



The plumage of the Cedar Bird is truly beautiful. In 

 texture it is soft, yet compact, and of such a peculiar color 

 that no two authors, that have described from specimens, 

 agree in regard to its tints and shades. In form it is robust 

 and plump. The large crest, which is usually elevated, 

 gives it a jaunty appearance, Unlike many birds of less 

 beauty, it has no pretense to melody, its voice being merely 

 a low kind of twitter. The sexes do not differ in coloring; 

 the female, however, has a rather smaller crest, and the 

 colors are somewhat duller in tint. Both have the peculiar 

 sealing wax-like tips at the ends of the secondaries. The 

 young do not obtain them until after moulting. We have 

 shot specimens with these tips on one wing only, the feath- 

 ers of the other being quite plain. 



Color of the upper parts and breast, olive brown, fading 

 to light yellow on the abdomen. A black stripe from the 

 upper mandible across the eye, with a white line above 

 and below, the lower being broadest. Chin black; quills 

 and tail feathers, ashy black, the latter tipped with yellow. 

 Rump and upper tail coverts ash; lower white. Bill and 

 feet bluish black. 



Length 7 inches. 



Although the difference in length between this species 

 and the Bohemian Chatterer is but small, that of bulk is 

 considerable, the latter species being nearly double] the 

 weight. It is more robust 



The earlier naturalists considered the A. oedro7'um as 

 merely a variety of the A. ffarrula, but they must have 



